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Use of Schools for Student Religious Meetings Is Acceptable to Most Americans

by Lydia Saad

Classroom prayer is the more divisive issue

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Should student religious groups be allowed to
hold their after-school meetings on public school grounds? The U.S.
Supreme Court began hearing arguments this week in a case involving
this separation of church and state question, and while lower
courts have issued conflicting rulings on the issue, the answer is
clear for most Americans. According to a Gallup poll conducted Feb.
9-11, 72% of Americans favor the use of schools for this purpose
while just 26% are opposed.

Not only is there widespread public support for opening school
doors to religious groups, but -- unlike the issue of school prayer
-- it is relatively non-controversial among Americans. At least
two-thirds or more of most major population sub-groups find it
acceptable for faith-based student groups to meet on public school
grounds. This includes 69% of adults living in the East as well as
77% in the South. It includes 74% of those with a college degree
and 68% of those who never attended college. It also includes 67%
of Americans who describe their political views as "liberal," as
well as 74% of self-described conservatives.

The specific case before the Supreme Court involves The Good
News Club of Milford, New York, an organization that is suing the
local school district for preventing the group from using school
facilities for their regular meetings. The group says it is a
Christian-based moral instruction program, using the Bible,
Christian songs and prayer as the basis for values education, but
school officials say the meetings are "the equivalent of religious
worship." The Supreme Court ruling is expected to clarify
contradictory rulings from lower courts about whether public
schools must accommodate religious worship.

Prayer in Schools Is More Controversial
The new Gallup poll finds that Americans, overall, are generally
tolerant of several possible religious activities that might be
carried out on school grounds. In addition to the 72% who support
making public school facilities available after hours for student
religious groups, 80% believe students should be allowed to recite
a spoken prayer at school graduations, and two thirds (66%) think
spoken prayer should be allowed in the classroom. Public attitudes
on these issues have changed little since Gallup first asked these
particular questions in 1999.

However, unlike the use of school buildings for religious groups
-- which is widely supported across all demographic groups -- the
matter of prayer in public schools generates substantial resistance
from some quarters. In particular, prayer in the classroom has
significant opposition within the ranks of upper educated Americans
(50% oppose it), as well as among liberals (46%) and those living
outside the South (40%). By contrast, nearly three-quarters of
those without a college education support it (72%), as do 79% of
conservatives and 81% of Southern residents.

Prayer spoken by students at graduation ceremonies as part of
the official program tends to be highly supported by groups that
tend to favor religion in schools (conservatives, Southerners and
those with no college background). However, unlike prayer in the
classroom, it does not generate particularly high opposition from
other groups.

Total

South

Non-
South

College grad-
uate

No college edu-
cation

"Lib-
eral"

"Moder-
ate"

"Con-
serva-
tive"

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Use School Facilities for Religious Groups

Favor

72

77

70

74

68

67

72

74

Oppose

26

21

29

25

30

33

27

23

Daily Prayer in the Classroom

Favor

66

81

59

50

72

53

62

79

Oppose

34

19

40

50

28

46

38

20

Graduation Speech Prayers

Favor

80

93

74

71

85

68

78

90

Oppose

20

7

25

28

15

32

22

10

Americans Want Higher Profile for Religion in
Schools
A separate question asked in the new poll finds that not only do
Americans favor various religious activities within the school
context but, more generally, they would like to see religion have a
greater influence in schools. Sixty-two percent of Americans,
overall, say religion has too little of a presence in public
schools right now while 30% think it has the right amount of
influence and just 8% think it has too much influence.

But like prayer in schools, the issue sharply divides some
Americans, with college graduates, liberals and Americans outside
the South being far less likely than their counterparts to favor
expanding the role of religion in public schooling.

Total

South

Non-
South

College grad-
uate

No college edu-
cation

"Lib-
eral"

"Moder-
ate"

"Con-
serva-
ative"

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Influence of Religion

Too much

7

5

8

9

4

19

5

3

About right

28

22

31

40

19

31

36

19

Too little

63

72

59

48

76

47

58

77

Survey Methods

The results below are based on telephone interviews with a
randomly selected national sample of 1,016 adults, 18 years and
older, conducted February 9-11, 2001. For results based on this
sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum
error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or
minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.

Next I'm going to read a variety of proposals concerning
religion and public schools. For each one, please tell me whether
you would generally favor or oppose it. First, ... Next, ...
[RANDOM ORDER]

BASED ON – 529 – NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A;
±4 PCT. PTS.

Making public school facilities available after school hours
for use by student religious groups

Favor

Oppose

No opinion

%

%

%

2001 Feb 9-11

72

26

2

1999 Jun 25-27

78

21

1

Allowing daily prayer to be spoken in the classroom

Favor

Oppose

No opinion

%

%

%

2001 Feb 9-11

66

34

*

2000 Sep 11-13

68

30

2

1999 Jun 25-27

70

28

2

*Less than 0.5%

Allowing students to say prayers at graduation ceremonies as
part of the official program

Favor

Oppose

No opinion

%

%

%

2001 Feb 9-11

80

20

*

2000 Sep 11-13

77

21

2

1999 Jun 25-27

83

17

*

*Less than 0.5%

Thinking about the presence that religion currently has in
public schools in this country, do you think religion has –
[ROTATED: too much of a presence in public schools, about the right
amount, (or) too little of a presence in public schools]?

Slightly more Americans agree (52%) than disagree (45%) that the federal government is responsible for making sure all Americans have healthcare coverage. This balance of views is similar to last year.

Americans' daily self-reports of spending averaged $98 in November, up from $93 in October. The latest figure is the highest average recorded for the month of November since Gallup began tracking consumer spending in 2008.